Gauntlet III (2008)

[jsm1125]

I'm not sure if I have jurisdiction to create a new thread, but if so, I thought I'd make one for the Gauntlet III.

 

This was a pretty cringeworthy season, to say the least, but here are some highlights for me: Katie flipping out on CT when the "trim the fat" nonsense was initially brought up, Robin having a bit of a meltdown in the finale (which subsequently led to Kenny's "he's dying, she's crying"), Frank and Jillian winning after performing well throughout the season/in multiple gauntlets, Derek (Rookies team, was also on the Duel II) in general, a rather likeable Paula, and Katie's highlight reel during the Reunion Show.

 

Now for the bad: The majority of the Veterans (minus Brad, Big Easy, Bananas, Adam, Katie, Coral, and Paula) AND the Rookies (minus Derek, Ryan, Frank, Jillian, and debatably Johanna), the shoddy treatment of Coral, Katie, and Beth (*gasp*), Casey lasting as long as she did, and the Austin cast composing 1/4 of the Rookies team (Johanna, Nehemiah, Melinda, Rachel).

 

Had Big Easy not collapsed and been hospitalized, the Veterans would have obviously won, which in itself isn't surprising. In retrospect, what is surprising is that had that occured, Robin, Adam, Diem and Big Easy would have won a challenge.

 

Feel free to post your thoughts about this season.

Edited July 1, 2014 by jsm1125

[larrybear]

I wish Brad hadn't talked Tori out of quitting. One of my least favorite females ever.

 

Loved that in the reunion they pointed out that everyone gave up while Frank dug out the chest by himself. What a sorry group of "winners."

[Lantern7]

I try not to remember this season. For one thing, it was Coral's last one. To me, she's television gold, a perfect storm of snark and boobs. The Veterans should've thrown her a parade after she beat Beth in the Gauntlet, but the men were so set on "trimming the fat," and she probably felt her former friend Evan stabbed her (figuratively), so she called it quits. Then we had to hear a hatchet-faced bitch (Evelyn) and a perennial loser (Casey) talk smack about her. That wasn't fun.

 

And then there was Eric, who got carried to the final mission because the Veterans didn't want to risk losing against him in the Gauntlet. From what I heard, he was boozing the night before the finale, so it kinda served his team right that he almost died on them. Aside from Brad, I can't remember any Veteran worth rooting for at that time.

 

Anybody else have better memories of this season than me?

[TD3000]

I was happy with this season because the rookies won, even though it was based on a technicality. Frank in particular I was happy for; I remember when they brought (supposedly) big bad MJ in as a replacement, but Frank was able to defeat him in the rope-pulling gauntlet. I didn't care about Johnny Bananas one way or another, but it's fun to look back at a time when he was the one getting screwed over in a Challenge. The sliders gauntlet was fun in the sense that you didn't have to be this beastly behemoth to win. As for Big Easy, man...the more behind-the-scenes stuff I hear about him, the less sympathethic he becomes.

[OnceSane]

I have zero sympathy for Big Easy, & only a smidgen more for the vets.  The guys should have sucked it up & faced him in the gauntlet & eliminated him.  Yeah, Big E is, well, big...but he's not the fastest dude.  I can't believe no one would have beat him, & then the vets would have won that season.

[Zima]

I loved this season. I'd had a seething hatred of Coral since the RW "Back to New York" and it was SOOO nice to see her team gang-up on her.  The way she quit was pathetic. She would have lost against Evelyn, but at least she would have left with some dignity, but nooo. She ran off like a whiny two-year-old.

 

Evelyn is THE BEST.  Screw Emily and Laurel; I think Evelyn could take them both at the same time. Maybe with one hand tied behind her back. Okay, maybe that's a BIT of an exaggeration, but she's definitely the best female competitor in Challenge History. 

 

The Evelyn/Brooke romance was absolutely hilarious. 

 

I hated everyone on the Rookie team except for Frank and Jillian. I wish they would do another season together; they were BEASTS on this season.

[Princess Sparkle]

This is probably terrible of me, but I remember absolutely dying laughing at that final mission.  Not because of Eric being sick, but because of how everyone around him was acting.  There's so many laugh out loud moments: CT yelling "You have to encourage him!" at his teammates, and then proceeding to "encourage" Eric by screaming at him, Kenny yelling "What the fuck is going on?  He's dying and she's crying!",  the vets still beating the sad sack rookies, even though they were behind by at least an hour, but then losing anyway.  And the best part is, the vets probably could have walked the whole course and still won, but because they had to show how badass they are, they screwed themselves out of the win.  Hysterical.

 

I also enjoyed Frank being seemingly the only person at the Challenge to figure out how physics and endurance works (by easily figuring out how to beat MJ in the back-to-back challenge), Adam kicking Danny's ass in Ball Brawl, and my favorite line in any TWOP recap ever, which was (in reference to Evan and Johnny going head-to-head in a puzzle) "Evan wins because Evan went to Princeton, and Johnny Bananas is called that for a reason."  

 

I will give Johnny credit for being the only person to call out that Eric was going to hurt them all in the final mission, and the only reason no one was saying it was because all the guys were too afraid to go up against him in a physical challenge.  And actually, I'll out myself: up until this challenge, I actually really liked Johnny and felt badly for him because he kept getting screwed over.  I think after getting screwed over once again at this challenge was when he decided to do a 180 on his personality and become the guy we've seen since then.

[Princess Sparkle]

Yeah, the Vet males were scared because the only Gauntlet challenge that wasn't physical was the puzzle, and that Eric's physical size would make him win no matter what. However, Frank and Adam both showed that you could still win a "physical" challenge against a bigger guy, as long as you were smart about it - Frank digging in and tiring out MJ, and Adam using his speed to out-maneuver Danny in Ball Brawl.

Which is why it's hilarious that if Evan had picked Eric instead of Johnny to go against him in the Gauntlet, they could've been rid of Eric. I even think Evan would've had a decent shot against Eric in some of the other challenges, because even though he would've been smaller, he also would've been in much better shape and could've worn out Eric.

[choclatechip45]

Gauntlet III for me is the last challenge before J/E/K took control of everything and ruined the challenges.

Edited November 22, 2014 by choclatechip45